Lab Entry #9
Gamification and Learning
Today in class we looked at gamification, which is defined as the application of typical elements of game playing (point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity. The genre we looked at was educational gamification. This means we looked at how game theory could be used in the classroom to facilitate learning.
In the second part of the class, we played the Bad News Game, a web-based game that teaches the player how the internet is used to generate hysteria and outrage online. As a choice-oriented simulation game, the goal to create a fake social media profile for a news website and amassing the most amount of followers, progressively gaining influence as the news becomes strategically more outrageous.
The game is fast-paced and visually striking with a satisfying reward system. This makes it a memorably effective learning experience for anyone.
Another game we looked at was BBC simulation game about economic and war-affected Syrian refugees. The aim of the game was to make it safely out of Syria during a time of danger and crisis. This game was very effective in allowing players to place themselves in the shoes of another person and briefly live another life. This encourages the players to develop their empathetic abilities.
Uses for Teachers:
- Students could be tasked with creating their own text-based, choice-oriented simulation game. A neat idea would be to get them to create one that allowed players to manage their work ethic. They will program their game to allow players to make decisions regarding academics and their personal life, each choice affecting the success in both realms. Students will, meanwhile, teach themselves how to manage these aspects of their lives efficiently.
- Text-based gamification in learning in other realms of activity outside of (and sometimes including) journalism, such as politics. Students could be tasked with playing and/or creating a choice-oriented game like the Bad News Game where they make decisions as a potential candidate for public office. Decisions that mimic real human reactions and behaviours regarding their choices for candidates.
- There are other kinds of online games, web and phone applications that could be useful to students. For example, there are many resources of math games that drives attention away from how boring mathematics can get for young people. These kinds of games teach them the practical, hands-on uses of the math skills they are learning.
